This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all rights accruing thereto under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 through my patent application entitled Portable Computers with Multi-Platform Architecture and Method for Manufacturing the Same earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on the 13th day of October 1998 and there duly assigned Ser. No. 1998/42808.
The present invention relates generally to the field of portable computers and more particularly, to portable computers having multi-platform architecture based on a common platform a method for manufacturing the same.
Recent rapid changes in environments employing personal portable computers require continuous improvements in hardware, multiple new functions, and diversification of portable computers. Therefore, a structure of a portable computer should be designed considering production facility and user requirement. Since major portable computer manufacturing companies should provide timely new models having a variety of functions and designs, a period for developing a portable computer should be shortened enough.
An earlier method for manufacturing a portable computer has limitation to satisfaction of the above conditions. For example, although a variety of models should be developed with diversification of functions and designs to meet the requirements of users as short as possible, the conditions are limited by manpower, expenditure, and technical factors. In an earlier method for manufacturing a portable computer, all parts should be respectively developed in each model and manpower and apparatus are simultaneously invested. Consequently, the duration of development becomes long and the manufacturing cost becomes high. Moreover, it is difficult to assure reliability and quality of goods in each of the models. This is because technical problems such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) or heat should be solved whenever each model is developed. Since a variety of models cannot be developed by the earlier method during a short term, manufacturing companies cannot distribute portable computers of various models. Further, since development and production of each model are different, production cost increases and thus price of manufactured goods becomes high.
U.S. Pat. No 5,865,546 for a Modular Keyboard For Use In A Computer System to Ganthier et al discloses a how a wide variety of models of computers can be assembled by placing different modules in different sockets on a keyboard. For example, the user can insert any combination of a keyboard module, trackball module, keypad module, and scanner module on a keyboard assembly to arrive at any one of a variety of computers. However, what is needed is a portable computer and a method of manufacture of said portable computer where many different models of a portable computer can easily be constructed and where each model differs from each other model by the location of and type of module bay receptors, the types of modules each module bay receptor can electronically operate, and the electronic bus structure of each portable computer based on said location and types of module bay receptors and their connections to a motherboard.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing a portable computer and a portable computer by the method which can manufacture portable computers of various models during a short developing term.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing a portable computer and a portable computer by the method which can manufacture portable computers of various models by investing relatively small expenditure.
It is further an object to provide a portable computer and a method of manufacture of said portable computer that comes in several models, where each model differs from each other based on the location and type of module bay receptors in said portable computer.
It is still further an object to provide a portable computer that has abase portion, atop portion that has a keyboard that fits onto said base portion, and a display portion having a screen that fits onto said top portion, where models of said portable computer are distinguished from one another by the design of the top portion and the location, quantity, and type of module bay receptors in a top portion of a portable computer.
According to a feature of the invention, a method for manufacturing portable computers comprising the steps of composing base units of which electronic devices are located at an identical position, respectively; composing option units having electronic devices of which structures are different each other, wherein the electronic devices of the base units are coupled to that of the option units; composing display panels having a screen and being identically coupled to the option units, respectively; and coupling the base option units to the option units to the display panels, respectively, to thereby complete portable computers having different functions.
In the above embodiment, the step of composing the base units comprises the steps of composing mother boards having an identical layout; composing hard disk drives having an identical coupling structure; composing PCMCIA slots having an identical connector; and composing memories having an identical socket.
According to another feature of the invention, portable computers comprises base housings of which electronic devices are arranged at an identical position, respectively; top housings having different structures and being identically coupled to the base housings, respectively and including electronic devices coupled to the electronic devices of the base housings, respectively; and display panels being identically coupled to the top housings, respectively wherein a screen is mounted upon each of the display panels, to thereby complete portable computers having different functions, respectively.
In the above embodiment, the respective electronic devices of the top housings include a floppy disk drive.
In the above embodiment, the respective electronic devices of the base housing comprise a mother board having an identical layout; an I/O port; a hard disk drive having an identical coupling structure; a battery; a DC/DC board; and a memory having an identical socket.
In the above embodiment, the respective electronic device of the top housings comprises a keyboard assembly and a pointing device.
In the above embodiment, one of the electronic devices of the base housings includes a swappable slot, to thereby exchange a CD-ROM drive with a DVD drive or a ZIP drive.
In the above embodiment, one of the electronic devices of the base housings to which the top housings are coupled includes a swappable slot, to thereby exchange a CD-ROM drive with a DVD drive or a ZIP drive.
Accordingly, portable computers having various models can be designed and manufactured at the same time. If models are different, option units whose functions and design are different are exchanged to design and manufacture the portable computers. Duration and expenditure of development are reduced, thereby to decrease in unit price of products. Portable computers having various models use an identical base unit and a display panel, thereby to assure reliability and quality of products. Further, duration of development is shortened to comply with request of consumers, thereby to provide portable computers of new models.